The eccentric old man in Flight (Doris Lessing): An analysis

My assignment for the "American & British selected short stories" course at USSH - Vietnam National University.

Doris Lessing’s "Flight" is a short story revolving around an old man and his learning of accepting in life. The author, however, does not let her readers know much about the old man, especially in the sphere of physical appearance. Even his name is not known to the readers. Doris Lessing, alternatively, aims to steer her readers to centre on the old man’s inner feelings, i.e. his weird mood and his consequent eccentric behaviors. A close and careful analysis is essential for us to somehow get a reasonable explanation about his eccentricities.

The old man keeps pigeons and considers the dovecote his refuge. These little birds are seemingly his only pleasure in life, for all of his three grand daughters have gone with their husbands, leaving him with his daughter Lucy and the young Alice. Because Alice is the last grand daughter to stay with him, and because she is going to get married, he feels possessive towards her. Never does he want her to leave as do her sisters. He always wants to keep her, to have control on her, and to never let her leave, for fear that she will never come back to him, like the way he prevents his favorite pigeon from flying back to the sky. He keeps on considering Alice as still a child and on objecting her courtship with Steven the postmaster’s son. This possessive and somewhat selfish attitude has led to his unconventional behaviors. Miserably and angrily he shouts at her, asking her old-fashioned phrases stating his objection to her future marriage, and eventually threatening to tell her mother when she disobeys him. How childish it is for such an old man, not to mention his being her grandfather, to behave like this! Moreover, how can a grandfather be jealous of his grand daughter’s boyfriend? Jealousy, possessiveness and selfishness have blinded him!

The old man seems to isolate himself from everyone with his own way of thinking, which is considerably different from that of his daughter Lucy and of course, that of the young Alice. He expects Lucy, his daughter, to be on the same side with him, yet to his grief, the mother shows no objection to her daughter’s forthcoming marriage. He feels lost, and weeps eventually. Those are tears of anger, sadness and even of the fear of loneliness, for Lucy is his only hope to stand to his side. Tears shed on him again, though implicitly depicted, when he watches the young couple “tumbling like puppies on the grass”, after Steven has given him a bird as a gift. These, however, are tears of tolerance and acceptance, as he realizes the fact that Alice needs to fly and have her own life. He cannot keep her beside him forever. Then he comes to a tough decision: releasing his favorite. Though having “clenched in the pain of loss”, he manages to let the bird soar.

Flight is written in third person, but most of the time it is told through the old man’s point of view. Doris makes it this way deliberately for the readers to get the clearest view of the old man’s mood, which keeps shifting from the beginning to the very end of the story. It makes us know how his mood has changed from being very happy with his favorite when the story begins to being extremely angry and resentful when seeing his granddaughter waiting for her husband-to-be. It also helps us know how he feels hurt and how his pride is wounded when everyone is against him. With this skillful technique and her great talent in utilizing symbolism, Doris Lessing has made the story a successful one, which leads readers to explore the world of inside heart feelings.

(Original writen in 2010, as a third-year student)

Update in 2024: I asked ChatGPT to proofread my writing and here's its version:

"Doris Lessing’s "Flight" is a short story revolving around an old man and his journey toward acceptance in life. The author, however, deliberately withholds much information about the old man, particularly regarding his physical appearance, and his name remains unknown to readers. 

Instead, Lessing directs her readers to focus on the old man’s inner feelings, such as his peculiar mood and subsequent eccentric behaviors. Close and careful analysis is essential for readers to gain a reasonable understanding of his eccentricities.

The old man finds solace in keeping pigeons and views the dovecote as his sanctuary. These birds represent his sole source of pleasure, as his three granddaughters have all married and left him, leaving only his daughter Lucy and young Alice behind. 

With Alice being the last granddaughter remaining and preparing for marriage, he becomes possessive of her, fearing her departure like that of his favorite pigeon's flight from the sky. He desires to keep Alice by his side, exert control over her, and prevent her from leaving, fearing she may never return. 

He perceives Alice as still a child and objects to her courtship with Steven, the postmaster's son. His possessive and selfish attitude fuels his unconventional behaviors, leading him to angrily oppose her marriage plans and threaten to inform her mother if she disobeys him. Such childish behavior is unbecoming of an elderly man, especially her grandfather, and reveals the extent to which jealousy, possessiveness, and selfishness have clouded his judgment.

The old man isolates himself with his own thoughts, which diverge significantly from those of his daughter Lucy and, naturally, from those of young Alice. He expects Lucy to support him, but to his dismay, she expresses no objection to her daughter’s impending marriage. 

He feels abandoned and ultimately weeps, shedding tears of anger, sadness, and fear of loneliness, for Lucy is his only hope for companionship. Tears well up again, albeit subtly depicted, as he witnesses the young couple "tumbling like puppies on the grass" after Steven presents him with a bird as a gift. These tears, however, signify tolerance and acceptance as he acknowledges Alice’s need to forge her own path in life. He realizes he cannot keep her by his side forever and makes the difficult decision to release his favorite pigeon, despite the pain of loss.

"Flight" is written in the third person, predominantly from the old man’s perspective. Lessing employs this narrative technique to provide readers with a clear understanding of the old man’s changing mood throughout the story. It allows readers to perceive his shift from contentment with his favorite pigeon at the story's outset to extreme anger and resentment upon seeing his granddaughter await her future husband. Furthermore, it reveals his hurt and wounded pride when faced with opposition from others. 

Through this skillful narrative approach and adept use of symbolism, Doris Lessing crafts a compelling story that invites readers to explore the realm of inner emotional turmoil."